Grammy Awards 2010 Preview

Shakira Performs At The 2007 Grammy Awards

The Grammy awards are coming up this Sunday January 31, 2010. They’ll be shown on CBS at 8PM ET/PT and just like last year, I’m sure they’ll disappoint. Every year I watch the Grammy’s and then vow that I’ll never watch them again. Let’s face it, since music distribution has gone so heavily digital and hit songs are basically just hits in a certain niche, the Grammy’s just don’t hold the same allure as they used to have. I guess an indication of all the niche markets is the fact that there are over 100 categories for for Grammy awards. So if you’re into rock and roll, you should get about 10 minutes of enjoyment out of the Grammy awards.

I guess it’s just how the music industry is that everything is categorized and marketed to a certain audience. The Grammy’s, after all, is as much a celebration of targeted marketing as it is a celebration of musical creativity. The Record Of The Year category is loaded with the top sellers for 2010. But great albums like “It’s Blitz!” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are crammed into their own niche. So congratulations Lady Gaga, you have been marketed very well this year. Good luck winning the Grammy for your silly song “Poker Face”.

Since this is Live Musician Central, I’m mainly focusing on the live performances that will be featured at this years Grammy awards. The Grammy’s are interesting because the live performers are not always live. It’s kind of a game we play when watching the Grammy awards to see who is lip synching and who is really singing live. The following acts are slated to perform live at the 2010 Grammy Awards:

Dave Matthews Band

Green Day

Lady Gaga

Pink

Zac Brown Band

Beyonce’

Black Eyed Peas

Lady Antebellum

Maxwell

Taylor Swift

Bon Jovi

Mary J. Blige

Andrea Bocelli

Green Day

That’s at least a partial list and I’m sure there will be a few surprises too. So I ask myself, do I really want to see any of these performers live? I’d kind of like to see Kings Of Leon simply because I enjoyed their latest album so much. I’d also like to see the kid who calls himsefl Owl City perform just to see if he can play live as opposed to cranking out tunes in his bedroom.

Still, the Grammy’s should be entertaining for a while simply because someone may do something crazy. Maybe we’ll have another Kanye moment or something. I’m sure I’ll make my usual vow when it’s all over and swear that I’ll never watch the Grammy’s again. For now, download some of the Grammy Nominees music and get prepared for another show.